Category News

Bath’s Challenge Cup win a ‘long time coming’

By in News, Sports News
Features of Rex
Sophie Hurcom
BBC Sport England

According to captain Ben Spencer, Bath will unavoidably deliver a performance similar to the one that earned them the European Challenge Cup on Friday.

At the Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Bath won their first European championship game with a score of 34-12 over French Top 14 side Lyon.

The Premiership leaders scored four tries in the first half, which saw two players sin-binned and comfortably defeat their French foes.

Spencer claimed that the performance of tonight was something that had been developing for a very long time.

“It was unbelievable to witness this group’s struggle and hunger.

When England head coach Steve Borthwick led Bath to its final major silverware, it was in the same European competition in 2008.

Following their domestic success in February with the Premiership Rugby Cup and as favorites to win the Premiership title, Bath are still in the running for a treble this year.

Finn Russell, the flyhalf’s signing in 2023, was a key player in Bath’s transformation under Johann van Graan, who praised the victory as a “big step in the right direction” of the club’s direction.

After twice losing Champions Cup finals to former club Racing 92, Russell won his first major European title with four conversions and three penalties on the night.

It’s been a long time coming for Bath to win this title, Russell said on BBC Points West. “We’ve worked so hard as a team to get where we are right now,” Russell said.

Although the work is still ongoing, it is amazing to have this trophy.

Tom Dunn, a stalwart of Hooker and Bath, made his debut in 2012 with the statement, “We talk about continuous improvement.

Bath players spray champagne as they stand and sit around the European Challenge Cup trophyPA Media

Despite being briefly reduced to 13 players after Sam Underhill and Will Muir received yellow cards, Bath took the lead with the scores of Dunn and Max Ojomoh.

Beno Obano and Spencer scored tries to keep them out of sight, but Arno Botha pulled another back for Lyon, who finished the night comfortably.

One of Bath’s yellow cards, according to Lyon coach Karim Ghezal, was “rather dodgy,” but he wouldn’t object to refereeing.

When they were adrift, “we didn’t score.” He claimed that they received two yellow cards.

We must confront the reality because Bath is a very capable team and we knew they were very effective.

As the Premiership season draws to a close, Bath will now have to wait another two weeks.

On Saturday, May 31st, they travel to Saracens for the final round of the competition, followed by a home semi-final on Friday, June 6th, to qualify for the Twickenham final.

Van Graan and Van Graan are enjoying their “journey” together and said the Challenge Cup trophy was a credit to each and every player on the club.

“We’ll enjoy [Friday], we’ll enjoy what this trophy represents, incredible hard work by a lot of people,” Van Graan said. “We’ll come back on Tuesday morning and we’ll move on.”

We are enjoying our journey together, not pursuing anything.

related subjects

  • Rugby Union
  • Bath

FG Jacks Up Gas Production Target To 12bcf/d By 2030

By in News, Nigeria News

By 2030, the Federal Government intends to produce 12 billion cubic feet of gas, which is the federal government’s goal.

The new 12bcf/d target for FG’s gas production is based on the 10bcf/d target.

The Special Adviser to the President on Energy, who was represented by Lateef Biobaku, disclosed this when Shell Nigeria Gas (SNG) engaged more than 100 gas off-takers in Ogun State’s Agbara Ota industrial zone.

The Minister, who used the opportunity to share the government’s vision for the oil and gas industry, stated in a statement to be broadcast on SNG on Friday that “we want to unlock Nigeria’s energy potential, to help stimulate economic growth, to encourage industrialization, and to help diversify our economy. By 2030, the company wants to attract investments to increase oil and gas production by 4 million barrels per day and by 12 billion cubic feet per day.

Nigeria produced about N8.6 trillion worth of natural gas last year.

According to NUPRC data, the nation produced 2.5 trillion cubic feet of gas in the year.

According to NUPRC data, the nation produced 1.44 TCF of associated gas.

A type of natural gas that can be found in petroleum deposits can be found as a free “gas cap” above the oil in the reservoir.

Read more about Tinubu’s inauguration of the NNPCL Board and how it proceeds to stabilize the economy.

In the same time frame, non-associated gas equivalent to 1.06 TCF was produced.

Non-associated natural gas is a type of natural gas produced in unrefined gas fields.

Israel: ‘Gaza will be entirely destroyed’

By in News, World News

Allies of Israel are beginning to speak out as the genocidal conflict against Gaza gets worse.

The most recent and perhaps the most important chapter of a genocide are depicted in apocalyptic images coming out of Gaza. The Israeli military is forcing Palestinians into the besieged enclave through an operation known as Gideon’s Chariots. Next up is a massive invasion that aims to essentially retake control of the area.

Contributors:
Al Jazeera English correspondent Hani M. Abuishaiba for Gaza
Israeli human rights lawyer Sari Bashi
Gideon Levy, Haaretz columnist
Yousef Munayyer, Senior Fellow, Arab Center Washington, DC

On our radar:

What prevents the United Kingdom’s publicly funded network from broadcasting a documentary about Palestinian doctors that was produced by the BBC and never airs? reports Ryan Kohls.

The military of Pakistan is a nationalism wave.

Pakistan’s military is evoking a wave of patriotic fervour following its week-long conflict with India. The armed forces have received a brand refresh after waging a campaign of memes, music, and messaging that reawakened the nation’s true leadership.

Oluremi Tinubu To Disburse ₦50m Grants To Persons With Disabilities

By in News, Nigeria News

To support their small businesses, 250 people with disabilities across the nation will receive grants worth between $50,000 and $500,000.

At a RHI held on Friday at the International Conference Center in Umuahia, Abia State, where she oversaw the distribution of food supplies to the state’s RHI Coordinator and state governor’s wife, Mrs. Priscilla Otti, the wife of the governor.

The “Flow with Confidence” program would distribute 10, 000 packs of sanitary pads to young girls, especially those in rural communities, to help girls stay in school throughout their menstrual cycle, she added.

The programs were created in accordance with the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration’s renewed hope agenda and to improve Nigerians’ lives across the nation, according to Mrs. Tinubu, who was represented by her husband, Hajiya Nana Shettima, the vice president and vice chairman of RHI.

Read more about Oluremi Tinubu’s inauguration of the NITDA ICT Center in Ibadan.

RHI intends to distribute grants of Two Hundred Thousand Naira (200, 000) to 250 people with disabilities in all 36 states and the FCT to help them maintain and grow their small businesses under the economic empowerment plan.

The “Flow with Confidence” initiative will give 10, 000 packs of sanitary pads to young girls, especially those in rural communities, in the area of education. Senator Tinubu was quoted as saying in a statement from Kwapchi Bata Hamman, the Special Assistant to the President, Media and ICT, (Office of the Vice President), on Saturday, that this initiative aims to keep girls in school all the way through their menstrual cycle.

She reaffirmed the President’s commitment to expanding the RHI Food Outreach Scheme and empowering the nation’s most vulnerable populations.

She confirmed that the program, which first launched on March 8, 2024, would continue to provide essential food to marginalized communities and women in the country.

She urged the recipients to use these items for the benefit of their families as I give them these essential food items, as I do with Abia State and the RHI state coordinator. We at RHI are putting together a number of positive impactful initiatives that are changing people’s lives across the country.

Senator Tinubu also praised the state governor’s wife for her outstanding efforts and support in ensuring the success of the state’s RHI food outreach and other related programs.

Abia Open to Partnerships

Governor Alex Otti stated that his administration is prepared to work with nonprofits that help the underprivileged.
He applauded Senator Tinubu’s commitment and the RHI outreach’s tangible results.

The governor’s wife, who received the items, highlighted how significant the outreach had been to the state’s families.

She assured the First Lady of her continued support and that items would be distributed to people from all backgrounds in order to accomplish the programme’s goals. “This intervention has transformed many lives,” she said.

Ubon Udoh, the Managing Director of ASR Africa and BUA representative, also gave a speech praising the work of RHI’s sustainable impact and promising to keep funding the Abdul Samad Rabiu Africa Initiative.

Benue, Cross River, Delta, Edo, Gombe, Kano, Kogi, Kwara, Nasarawa, and Oyo have all been served by the Food Outreach Scheme since its launch, along with the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

Enugu and Kaduna are next on schedule for the initiative. One state is being benefited by the program through the Abdul Samad Rabiu Africa Initiative (ASR Africa) and an anonymous donor.

Welsh rugby needs ‘full shake-up’ – Thorburn

By in News, Sports News
Picture agency for Huw Evans
  • 16 Comments

In light of the significant issues surrounding the new Professional Rugby Agreement (PRA) of the Welsh Rugby Union, Paul Thorburn believes Welsh rugby needs a “full shake-up.”

Following confirmation that Scarlets and Ospreys chose not to play for Cardiff and Dragons in signing the new deal, the nation’s four regions are currently divided.

Thorburn, 62, a former Wales captain, believes that the WRU must have regional dominance to restore the team’s success.

“I think the governing body needs a little shake-up in terms of how it runs the professional game,” says the governing body.

Wales face Japan on July 5 and 12, in a bid to end a string of 17 successive Test defeats, which is the worst in its history.

This year, Scarlets were the only Welsh side to reach the United Rugby Championship play-offs, which has also been a struggle.

Thorburn, a former Wales full-back who won 37 caps between 1985 and 1991, insists that axing a region is necessary if doing so benefits the game in Wales.

In the end, if cutting a region is what is needed for the future and the sustainability of international rugby and the game in general, Thorburn said, “so be it.”

Let’s put all of these antiquated stereotypes aside, he said, and let’s figure out what will best help sustain international rugby and help it develop.

related subjects

  • Dragons
  • Welsh Rugby
  • Cardiff
  • Scarlets
  • Rugby Union of Wales
  • Ospreys
  • Rugby Union

Ukraine calls for new sanctions as Russia hits Kyiv amid prisoner exchanges

By in News, World News

In response to dozens of attack drones and ballistic missile launches overnight by Moscow’s forces at Kyiv, Russian and Ukrainian officials have exchanged more prisoners of war (POWs).

In exchange for as many Russian servicemen who are being cared for in Belarus before returning to Russia, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced on Saturday that it had released 307 Ukrainian POWs.

Army soldiers, State Border Guard Service agents, and members of the Ukrainian National Guard were among those who were returned, according to Ukraine, according to the country.

The largest prisoner exchange since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022 saw 270 servicemen and 120 civilians each be released on Friday by the two countries.

Although the aerial attacks and ground fighting continue, neither side has agreed to exchange 1,000 prisoners.

At least 15 people were hurt in the capital as a result of overnight attacks launched from various Russian regions, according to the Ukrainian military, which involved 250 drones and 14 ballistic missiles hitting Kyiv and other areas, as well as damaging several apartment buildings and a shopping mall.

Ukrainian forces claimed that 245 drones, many of which were said to be Iranian-designed, were used to shoot down six of the ballistic missiles and 245 other targets in the Ukrainian regions of Dnipropetrovsk, Odesa, and Zaporizhia.

May 24, 2025: A drone explosion illuminates the skies over Kyiv as a result of a Russian drone attack.

In the wake of numerous Russian attacks, regional state administrator Oleh Syniehubov reported on Saturday morning that four Ukrainians had been killed and several others had been injured in the area.

At least 100 Ukrainian drones attempted to attack Russian targets overnight, according to the Russian Ministry of Defense. It claimed 10 additional drone launches on Saturday morning and the overnight downfall of 64 unmanned aerial vehicles in the Belgorod region.

More than a dozen projectiles were shot down over Kursk, Lipetsk, and Voronezh, according to the report, and five more were shot down over Tver, which is located northwest of Moscow.

“Difficult night”

Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the president of Ukraine, claimed in a social media post that it had a “difficult night” that needed to persuade the world that “the reason the war is being dragged out is in Moscow.”

“We need to put much more pressure on Russia,” he said, “to get results and start real diplomacy.” We are anticipating sanctions from our allies, including the US, Europe, and China. Moscow will agree to a ceasefire if key economic sectors are subject to additional sanctions.

Russia will face additional sanctions if it doesn’t agree to a ceasefire with Ukraine, according to the Group of Seven countries’ threats on Friday.

Andrii Sybiha, the foreign minister of Ukraine, claimed that Moscow has not yet sent a “peace memorandum” following discussions in Istanbul, Turkiye, and other cities that had only led to an agreement on the exchange of prisoners of war.

Instead, he wrote in a post on X that “Russia sends deadly drones and missiles at civilians,” adding that “more sanctions pressure on Moscow is required to ratchet up the peace process.”

According to Al Jazeera’s John Hendren, who is a reporter from Kyiv, Zelenskyy wanted a face-to-face meeting with Vladimir Putin, so he was disappointed at the Istanbul meeting.

It was a much lower-level meeting, according to the organizers. However, they did manage to secure this prisoner swap, he claimed, adding that the exchanges might have ended by Sunday, but no specifics were given.